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Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH)

The Semi-Pro league based entirely in Quebec, Ligue Nord-Américaine de Hockey (LNAH), was featured in a New York Times article yesterday. They article followed Brashear for a game to see what the league is like. Decent story on the league.

The league averages 3.2 fights a game this season, compared with 0.6 fights in the N.H.L. Despite the wildness, the antique rinks and the modest skill level, the L.N.A.H. draws a surprising number of former N.H.L. players — about 100 over all, including almost 20 this season.

For most of the league’s players, hockey is no longer a career ambition. The vast majority of them earn $150 to $400 a game, and teams operate under a salary cap of $6,300 to $6,800 a game. Brashear is one of only a handful of players who do not have a primary job outside the rink. Players tend to be teachers, sales representatives, laborers or students working toward university degrees.

A recent rule stipulates that L.N.A.H. players must be from Quebec or have played junior hockey there, helping make the league a comfortable place for many locals.

The league apparently traveled to Berlin, New Hampshire to look into a possible expansion. If a team from Berlin doesn't join in the 2017-18 season there is a chance that one could join the following season. If a team does join it would replace the Federal Hockey League's Berlin River Drivers in the market after they folded at the end of the 2016-17 season. It would also be the league's first team based in the United States (I think).

A team from Berlin, New Hampshire is now likely to join in the 2018-19 season after the league and Berlin group decided there was not enough time until the start of the 2017-18 season. The Berlin group are the owners of the former Federal Hockey League club, the Berlin River Divers.

Trois-Rivières Blizzard have been renamed to Trois-Rivières Draveurs (or Les Draveurs de Trois-Rivières in French) following a change in ownership. The club is named after the former major junior ice hockey club which competed in the QMJHL from 1973 to 1992.

The Berlin Blackjacks (BlackJacks de Berlin) join the league for the 2018-19 season. The team replaces the Berlin River Divers in the market which played in the Federal Hockey League from 2015 to 2017.

Bit late on this one but prior to the start of the season Trois-Rivières Draveurs folded after they had their membership revoked. This means the league remains at six teams for the 2018-19 season. The Trois-Rivières franchise has been in the league since foundation, changing names six times. The club were based out of Pont-Rouge from 1996 to 2004 before moving to Trois-Rivières.

- November 10: The Berlin Blackjacks (BlackJacks de Berlin) have been taken over by the league, ten games into the 2018-19 season ending the league presence in the United States. Poor attendance and lack of sponsors are cited as the reasons.http://www.coolfm.biz/nouvelle/437-l...les-blackjacks